Participation deadline approaching for Gulf cleanup worker study

Research Triangle Park, NC – Workers who assisted in cleanup efforts on the Gulf Coast following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill have until the end of December to sign up for a long-term study on the health effects of the spill.

For the Gulf Long-Term Follow-up Study, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences is looking for anyone who may have helped in cleanup efforts – including workers and volunteers who are healthy or who may have health problems.

“Every worker and volunteer has a story to tell, and we would like to hear every story to better understand the potential health effects of oil and dispersants,” said Dale Sandler, NIEHS Epidemiology Branch chief and the study’s lead researcher.

As of Oct. 2, more than 29,000 people had enrolled in the study, according to a press release.